NICK Demusis' camp broke its silence on Ismael Romero on Monday, saying the former Meralco import never apologized for his attack on the Fil-American player in a Dubai game and didn't comply with a settlement deal.
Demusis' wife Rizza Diaz spoke up a day after it was reported that Meralco has dropped Romero as its import for the PBA Commissioner's Cup, belying a claim made by Bolts team manager Paolo Trillo that an apology has already been extended.
READ At last, Meralco pulls the plug on Romero dilemma
"I am making this statement to provide clarification after Trillo declared in a radio show that Romero already apologized to Demusis in Dubai and that the information was unreported in the media," Diaz, a former PBA courtside reporter and now a newscaster, said in a long post on her official Facebook page.
"This is not the case," she added firmly.
Diaz said the only time Romero met with Demusis was in a Dubai police headquarters after the Zamboanga Valientes player filed a complaint, seeking an apology and compensation for medical fees and the games Demusis missed due to the injuries he suffered in the attack.
However, Diaz claimed Romero broke a verbal agreement on a settlement, leaving Dubai for Manila on the night when a face-to-face meeting in a hotel was supposed to be held. He later left Manila for Puerto Rico before a meeting that was being set with the help of Meralco officials could be held, Diaz added.
"It was clear deception on his part and [he] left us hanging," Diaz said. "When Romero left the Philippines, we just took it as it was: we saw it coming. However, I believe it would be an injustice to claim that Romero has already apologized to my husband."
Except for that Trillo appearance in the Power & Play podcast of Noli Eala, Meralco never officially addressed the Romero issue until news came around on Saturday that the Bolts have replaced Romero with Marvin Jones.
Diaz said she only spoke out to protect her husband, who she said chose be cordial about the incident the whole time.
"This is me speaking up this one time to set the record straight," Diaz said. "This is me protecting my husband. This is me speaking the truth on his behalf, and that's all we can do."
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